# American Idol 1/16 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228 "2007-01-16T19:02:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/161 "2007-01-18T07:55:26Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Finally, someone who can sing. I wonder why he was rejected the first two times. [/QUOTE] He may not have made it that far the first two times. If I recall, there are so many people there are several levels of auditions the contestant goes though before you face Simon, Paula and “Sup Dog”. ---
**Author:** ![turtle\_dove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@turtle\_dove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtle_dove)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/162 "2007-01-18T08:12:43Z")
I did not recognize the guy who came in flag regalia (was it?) til they showed the clip from last year of him singing I Shot the Sherrif. I was hoping they would show the whole clip of that! ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/163 "2007-01-18T08:24:33Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] Well, I did say **maybe** re: the South Asian bias. But about her looks, I’m serious. I see his hackles rise when a truly beautiful woman auditions. He even said something to that effect a few seasons ago: that a real looker won’t make it because the audience won’t identify with her. [/QUOTE] Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that. I thought she was cute, but not a real looker. Too much forehead! She should rock a 'do like her brother’s, with bangs. I see Simon light up when a hot woman walks in (remember that girl with a twin from last season who made it to Hollywood? That was all Simon.) He’s a sucker for women who look like his [girlfriend](http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/060502/n_rita_idol_060502.300w.jpg) . ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/164 "2007-01-18T09:36:37Z")
[QUOTE=Queen Tonya] What slays me is the loved ones waiting outside the audition room with a big ol heaping spoonful of delusion to replace what Simon and Randy deflated. Us right-thinking folks are cringing at home wondering why in the world no one’s ever told them they sound horrendous, and then comes squishy time with Mom saying “It’s alright, they’re wrong, you will be famous, you are wonderful and beautiful and talented and amazing!” :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] When Amy, the one who said she couldn’t sing because she was sick, told how her husband didn’t want her to audition, we were probably supposed to think he was a big ol’ meanyhead, not believing in her. But having heard her sing, I think he was supportive, in a way: he was not enabling her delusion, like you said. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/165 "2007-01-18T09:43:31Z")
Oprah asked Simon yesterday whether this year’s talent pool was the best ever. He said one word: “No”. He said that the auditions were horrible, and that once the 200 or so got out to Hollywood, even the good ones fell apart. He did opine that the best American singers tend to be from the South. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/166 "2007-01-18T10:52:22Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Oprah asked Simon yesterday whether this year’s talent pool was the best ever. He said one word: “No”. He said that the auditions were horrible, and that once the 200 or so got out to Hollywood, even the good ones fell apart. He did opine that the best American singers tend to be from the South. [/QUOTE] Simon always says that. Well, maybe not always-- he didn’t say it the first year. But he sure as hell said it last year. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/167 "2007-01-18T12:09:30Z")
It looks like I might not make it past the auditions this year. We really haven’t seen anyone Wow these two days. And the auditions are taking on a really cruel and mean tone that is not even funny. Apparently they are sending a lot of people to Hollywood that they don’t even show. I guess the audition shows are more about the bottom than about the top. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/168 "2007-01-18T12:54:53Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] — The girl with the red lipstick and the mom was so Alice from Dilbert. That **had** to be a work. [/QUOTE] I see the resemblance, but actually she put me more in mind of Miss Chokesondick from South Park. Indian boy twin reminded me of Eddie Murphy doing Buckwheat when he smiled, and Lord he needs a good haircut, but I liked his voice a lot better than his sister’s. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/169 "2007-01-18T13:33:51Z")
It’s understandable that many do not like to see the audition contestants humiliated-- and that is exactly what happens to some of them-- but I do not think Randy or Simon (never Paula-- what happened to her last night? I miss drunk Paula) are unnecessarily cruel. They are being as cruel as the show demands. Come on-- AI has been a top hit for 6 years now. The most watched show in America. If you show up for the audition, you know what you are in for. Even gorgeous people with the voices of angels can get a smackdown, so anybody and everybody should _expect_ to get joked on. It’s been part of the show since day one. Sometimes I feel sorry for the contestants. Their feelings really do get hurt (Sometimes. Half the time I believe these people know they are gonna get made fun of and just want to be on TV) but these people NEED to get their feelings hurt. They need to be disabused of the idea that they can sing. And the judges of AI will do that for them-- as I’m sure everyone lined up to be abused knows. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/170 "2007-01-18T13:38:44Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] Apparently they are sending a lot of people to Hollywood that they don’t even show. I guess the audition shows are more about the bottom than about the top. [/QUOTE] I was thinking the same thing- of the 4 hours of Idol the last two nights, probably a relative 3:30 was spent on the losers. Last night they showed a brief clip of 7 or 8 of the winners coming out of the room and celebrating, but of course we didn’t get to see them audition. No, we got the googly-eyed kid, the obese kid, the emotional head cases, the mother-daughter image trainwrecks, the clueless warblers, and the judges’ meanspirited criticisms. I guess they figure that once the actual competition begins, they’ll focus on the real talent, so for now we’ll just entertain the public by embarrassing the wannabees. And I can’t stop watching it. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/171 "2007-01-18T13:41:09Z")
I understand what you’re saying, **Biggirl**. And I think I’ve said before that the judges are under no obligation to mince words when the people watching at home are also making harsh comments, **and** when everyone in the entertainment business in general is vulnerable to getting snarked on. So a person who wants to be an entertainer has a thin skin, they’re in the wrong line of work. But that’s a different matter from, for instance, the reaction to the vocal coach last night. That was more than just not mincing words; that was deliberately provoking him. It happened a bit last season, and it seems even more prevalent this season. Perhaps the judges are consciously pushing auditioners’ buttons because they know meltdowns make good TV? Perhaps, but it’s still mean-spirited, and goes beyond shattering someone’s illusions for their own good. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/172 "2007-01-18T13:54:33Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] But that’s a different matter from, for instance, the reaction to the vocal coach last night. That was more than just not mincing words; that was deliberately provoking him. It happened a bit last season, and it seems even more prevalent this season. Perhaps the judges are consciously pushing auditioners’ buttons because they know meltdowns make good TV? Perhaps, but it’s still mean-spirited, and goes beyond shattering someone’s illusions for their own good. [/QUOTE] Oh, I agree that Randy was being a nasty ass to the vocal coach. And I sit at home and think-- boy, Randy must be on the rag today. But if you come to an AI audition be prepared to face humiliation. It happens every year. At some point Simon will have ingested too many steroids-- or whatever happens to him were he turns into a huge jackass-- and he will call many people horrible names. This is not new. Everyone who auditions should know by now that there is a very good possibility that any one of the judges will be mean to them. I don’t think it’s more prevalent this season. In fact, I think Simon is being a total doll so far. He’s been blunt but not unnecessarily cruel – even the bushbaby remark. I was sitting at home thinking the guy looked exactly like a marmosette. Last season we got the Incredible Hulk’s mother, the ‘she _is_ the stage’ remark, the steamrollering of Paula’s video, the bruhaha over whether or not Simon was homophobic. . . ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/173 "2007-01-18T13:56:46Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] — And the chick with the red arms? Were her legs red too, or was she wearing tights? That’s another bad sign: when people are so unaware of how they come off that they choose an outfit that emphasizes their worst feature. [/QUOTE] Her arms weren’t red, those were sleeves made out of the same material as the leggings. So, full body sheer pink unitard thingie (extending to wrists and ankles), with tailored outfit over it. Oh man “You passed on Taylor and look what happened!” Taylor making it gives folks ammunition against Simon?! That’s not good for the delusion folks. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/174 "2007-01-18T14:23:37Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] I don’t think it’s more prevalent this season. In fact, I think Simon is being a total doll so far. He’s been blunt but not unnecessarily cruel – even the bushbaby remark. I was sitting at home thinking the guy looked exactly like a marmosette. Last season we got the Incredible Hulk’s mother, the ‘she _is_ the stage’ remark, the steamrollering of Paula’s video, the bruhaha over whether or not Simon was homophobic. . . [/QUOTE] Agreed. I think Simon’s been great this year. He tells people what they need to hear, i.e., “I’m sorry, but you’re never going to have a career as a singer,” and leaves it at that. I’ve been proud of him. Granted, the bushbaby thing wasn’t very nice, but he was spot-on. Frankly, I think Paula and Randy have acted very unprofessionally. They sit there and laugh through people’s entire auditions, which is rude. I’ve very seldom, in six years, seen Simon lose his composure that way. And Randy can never seem to back up his insults. When he was telling the vocal coach he’d never take lessons from him, I wanted him to tell him why. Tell the kid that it’s not that he’s a bad singer, per se, it’s that he way overdoes it, and if he’s teaching his students to do the same, he’s doing them a huge disservice. Did the “Unchained Melody” guy remind anyone else of Napoleon Dynamite? ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/175 "2007-01-18T14:38:08Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] Sanyara, or whatever her brother’s name was, did have a much better voice and a really cool shy vibe about him. I think teenaged girls will really like him. And Simon moved him on, so I have to ask you why that came into your mind (Simon potentially being prejudiced vs. South Asians). [/QUOTE] During his audition, the look on Simon’s face was interesting. It was like you could tell he was picturing him with the Idol makeover. He needs some grooming before he becomes a favorite with the tweens. Not only is he a good singer, but he has a very pleasant-sounding voice. They don’t always get people like that. And yes, the blonde with her mom needs to get a bra NOW! At least her mother had the sense to wear one. I’m a B-cup and I can’t go without one! ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_Next\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@Girl\_Next\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_Next_Door)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/176 "2007-01-18T15:12:53Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] — **Girl Next Door** , really? That’s awesome! Sort of. [/QUOTE] If by “awesome”, you mean “deeply unsettling”, then I agree with you. 😉 After seeing Eric’s performance, my husband wailed: “That guy holds _sharp things_ up against my head!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/177 "2007-01-18T15:30:07Z")
Oh and I wanted to say something about the siblings. Did anybody else get the impression that sis is the darling of the household and little brother was just along for the ride. When Ryan asked who the judges thought was the better singer, little bro declined to comment and sis went all bugged-eyed. I wonder if they’ll be paired up during backstabbing week. Did they pair up the felonious twins of last year? ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/178 "2007-01-18T15:53:50Z")
Some of the auditions made me uncomfortable - even more so since I read this - [Auditions](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15310288/) I understand that if you audition you are opening yourself up to potential abuse, but some of these people may not even have gotten vetted. Imagine that strange gold-top-no-bra woman, she may not even have sung alot and had a producer say, “Great, we want you to audition for the judges!”. I felt kind of sorry for her, the guy with the strange eyes, really weird Unchained Melody guy and the Red-headed guy, they are obviously not trying to be strange - they just are strange. It a difference between that and just being a famewhore (The Hotness). I am a little uncomfortable with the ones that are genuinely weird. I don’t know if I’ll watch anymore, it seems meaner this year. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/179 "2007-01-18T16:08:11Z")
I honestly think that there ais a good protion of these folks who are mentally deficient. You cannot chalk it all up to someone having a tin ear, and I realize some know they are bad and are just there to try and be on TV. I am not reallyconcerned with the judges being mean, I think it is usually in proportion to the snarkiness they get back. But more than once I get uncomfortable thinking that they are making entertainment out of someone’s psychological and/or mental problems. ---
**Author:** ![LANmom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c89c15/32.png) [@LANmom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LANmom)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228/180 "2007-01-18T16:19:34Z")
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle] Yay! American Idol starts tonight! I’m excited, aren’t you? (crickets chirp) Okay, well I guess that makes me the goofy one. That’s fine, I’ll admit I’m looking forward to watching this and signing on to the Dope for a good old fashioned snarkfest after every show. I hear Mariah Carey and Paul McCartney are going to be special guests this season. C’mon…watch it, watch it…you know you want to… :)[/QUOT I watch! I love talent shows and this one and So YOu Think YOu Can Dance are way fun because you can vote. I like the Beauty and the Geeks too even tho theres no voting involved. The participants get more than just a prize out of it. Same with Idol and SYTYCD, they get an advancement in their careers and lots of lessons in their desired field. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-16/388228.md?page=10)